Chapter 13: Recruitment (1)

I used all the points I acquired during these ten days to increase my Mana capacity. After all, the more Mana one has, the more spells one can cast. Above that, there isn’t a device to determine one’s Mana. Only the magician can estimate the number.

I’ll be safe as they won’t check the number of spells cast. Of course, casting powerful spells requires a large amount of Mana, but as far anyone knows, there are only one or two Level-1 spells that require huge Mana and none of them are of Ice element.

I want the attention of recruiters, not everyone’s attention. If I perform too well, it would be like I’m inviting problems myself.

‘Status’

--

Name: Damon Oswyn

Age: 16

Race: Human

Shop Points: 40

Level Alter points: 0; Cool-down: 24 hours

Level: 1 <+/-> (Locked)

Orbit-1: 1 < +/- >

Affinity: Ice

Grade: Black<->

Innate skill: Ice Dragon Level-1 <+/->

Skills: Ice Breath Level-1 <+/->, Ice Field Level-1<+/->

Weapons: None

<Stats>

Health: 32 (+10) < +/- >

Strength: 16 < +/- >

Stamina: 16 < +/- >

Speed: 12 < +/- >

Intellect: 42 < +/- >

Essence: 18 <+/ - >

Mana: 70 < +/- >; Mana refill: 6 < +/- >/ minute < +/- >

--

Ice Field is the most common skill magicians learn after the Ice bullet. While the latter is an attacking move, the former is about creating an advantage for Ice element magicians. Any magician with Ice affinity gets a boost in attack and defense while slowing down the opposite because of cold.

Ice breath goes hand in hand with Ice Field, as it multiplies the Ice effects in the field.

Moreover, I learned this because I could quickly learn Ice Spikes and Ice Boulders skills as they depend on the amount of Ice available around. If the fight happens in the snow region, these skills are most useful against powerful enemies.

---

Recruitment Day

I woke early in the morning and did my usual body exercises. After the exercises, I got cleaned up and went downstairs. Mary had already prepared breakfast for me by the time I came downstairs. I quickly filled my stomach with the food and left the house.

One can enter for the recruitment either at the schools they attend or the open grounds, which are allocated today for the purpose.

I chose to go to school. Attending at the open grounds would attract a lot of attention. I won’t need that, not yet. One day, the city, no, the world would witness my prowess. Until then, I need patience.

When I reached my school, it was filled with students from the school as expected. Students always chose their own school for this. The only ones who go to the open grounds are the ones who never attended school.

The school has informed all students to be on school grounds by 8 A.M sharp. If they fail to be there, they would have to go to the open grounds for recruitment.

The problem is that respected representatives of the top academies would be at the top school. Being not a top school in the city, the Downtown school could only host second-rated recruiters. It would be even worse on the open grounds. No recruiter from the top academy would be in attendance over there. There will be some agents who would only inform if something unexpected happens.

So students prefer the school of their study.

While everyone was gathered on the grounds, the principal walked toward us while speaking with respect to a few people.

My estimation would be that they are recruiters from academies.

The principal stopped in front of us and spoke, “Students, today will be the last day you will be standing in this school. No more will you be bound to this small place. You can travel wherever you want if you become strong. To become strong, one’s talent plays a significant role, but the resources are essential too.

With me are the recruiters from various magical academies. If you impress them, you can get a spot in their academies. It means access to resources that you can’t get usually. So, good luck to you all. Hoping that you all get good placements.”

He turned and left to the recruiters who followed him to the watching stand. From there, they would have a better view of what’s happening on the ground.

After the principal left, our school combat trainers started to call one by one.

To get a spot in the academy, they only needed to release their aura. If they could perform spells, they would get extra points, which means a high chance of being recruited by top academies.

All that was called released the aura of a Level-1 magician. I could tell that mine is definitely not the same as their aura. It’s much more potent than that of a standard Level-1 magician. It is as I thought before when I released my aura for Mary and Thomas; I only released a bit, controlling how much to release.

It was good that I wasn’t the first one to perform, as it helped me to understand that not everyone’s aura is the same. Some are powerful, and some are weak. From the ones I knew from the class, the powerful are definitely the ones with Violet or Indigo grades.

Few of the magicians tried their skills, but looking at them, they are a definite failure. Even the Violet grade magicians stumbled while showing their skills.

After two hours, my turn came. Now to what would be remembered as one of my most outstanding performances.

I walked to the open space. Standing in the middle of the area, I released my aura and made sure it wouldn’t be more than the average of previous performers.

I went to show my Ice field skill, and everyone was stunned when I froze everything around me.

---

“Principal, isn’t that boy their child?”

The principal sighed and said, “Yes, he is.”

“I looked up his data before, his grade is only yellow, but the feeling I’m getting from him is not one of the Yellow grade magicians.”

“You are right. There may be two possibilities for that.”

“What do you mean?”

“One is that he either used an artifact to upgrade his grade. The grade could be raised by one or two levels depending on the artifact. Although these are rare, his parents were magicians and most likely saved them for him. The downside is that one person could use these types of artifacts only once.”

“Oh, you said two. What is the other one?”

“His Essence may be 3 or at least 2, giving him an edge with the magic. The thing is both may be true.”

“Maybe, but one is for definite true. I wonder which one is true.”

“That we can’t know, not without forcing him. If we do something like that, we may say goodbye to our jobs and even lives.”

“I prefer my job to that boy.”

“Me too.”